


Near at Hand

by cloudtopcruise



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Hot Springs & Onsen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-31
Updated: 2015-12-31
Packaged: 2018-05-10 18:25:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5596267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloudtopcruise/pseuds/cloudtopcruise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chrom and Robin bathe together in the middle of the night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Near at Hand

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this for a 30 NSFW challenge, with the theme naked kiss......................which I started in February............................................................................

It was long since sundown in the Bathrealms, and nearly all of the Shepherds had been long asleep. There were, however, two still awake outside in the springs: Chrom, looking ready to pass out at any moment, and Robin, curled up and glaring into the water.

Chrom glanced across the bath at him. “You look grouchy.”

"I'm not grouchy," Robin said (grouchily, with a grouchy expression, Chrom thought). "I'm extremely relaxed right now, _Chrom_."

It was impossible to miss how bitterly Robin spoke his name, but as tired as he was, Chrom wasn’t at all put off by it. “I don’t know what you’re mad at me for,” he said. “You’re the one who dragged me out this late.”

“I’m not mad at you, I’m just...mad,” Robin said, sighing. He glanced up, expression softening just a bit. “And you don’t _have_ to be here. I don’t remember inviting you at all, actually.”

Chrom yawned widely. "I didn't think you should be wandering around in the middle of the night, by yourself, naked."

Robin opened his mouth to reply, then paused, frowning. "...A-Anything sounds bad if you put it that way," he mumbled.

Chrom smiled a little; it was rare to actually be right about something over Robin. "Anyway...how much longer do you plan on staying out here?" he asked. "I'd like to actually get some sleep tonight."

“The same amount of time you and the others got.” Robin slumped down almost defiantly into the water.

“Well, maybe if you weren’t so busy starting a splash fight with that merchant...” Chrom said, closing his eyes.

“I wasn’t starting a splash fight!” Robin said. “She was peeping, and I had to defend myself!”

“With a splash fight.”

Robin pouted. "See what you'd do, without anything else to defend yourself with," he said. "It's good tactics, you know..."

“Oh, I'm sure." Chrom shrugged. “...Though I’m not sure about staying here until the sun rises.”

Robin splashed some water in Chrom’s direction, though Chrom barely registered it. “Fine, I’ll sacrifice some time just for you.”

“Good,” Chrom said, smiling. “You can consider that payment for my protection.”

“I didn’t know that was something I had to pay for.” Robin tried to sound betrayed, but couldn’t help smiling back anyway.

"I'm offering a discount, just for you."

There wasn’t much said after that; Chrom figured Robin had started trying to actually relax in the spring like he meant to. That was probably for the best, if it meant Robin would decide he was done bathing sooner. And besides, Chrom was starting to become too tired to carry a conversation at all...

 

Chrom hadn’t even noticed he’d fallen asleep until he woke with a start to Robin pinching his nose. “Nnghk— Robin!”

Robin chuckled and dropped his hand. “How do you plan on protecting me in your sleep?”

“I was resting my eyes, is all,” Chrom said. He pressed his palms against his eyes— he owed it to Robin to at least keep track of his purpose here. “I can jump into action at any moment."

“I’m sure you can,” Robin said. He sat back, resting his hands on his knees, and he was quiet for a long time before he spoke again. “...You know, maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t bathe with everyone.”

Chrom stifled another yawn. “You dislike the springs that much?”

“No, I just...wouldn’t want to scare anyone.” Robin lifted his right hand and waved it a little.

“What would— ah.” Chrom had only seen the mark once before, back when he’d first found Robin in that field. He hadn’t paid any mind to it then, just barely noticing that there was color on the back of his hand. But looking at it now, he wondered how he he’d failed to notice the design the first time. Three sets of eyes, not much unlike the design on the sleeves of Robin’s cloak and yet...much more foreboding, somehow.

“You, Lissa, and Frederick are the only ones who’ve ever had the chance to see it…” Robin said, speaking much more softly than before. “Though judging by your reaction, I suppose you don’t remember it.”

“I wasn’t really paying attention…” Chrom mumbled. He took Robin’s hand in his own to examine it more carefully. Somehow, it was even worse up close, sending a chill up Chrom's spine that he couldn't quite explain. Discomforted, his eyes wandered away from it slightly, and he noticed a line of more mundane discoloration of skin. It made something of a square around the mark, and Chrom ran his thumb lightly across it. “...Are these scars?”

“...Yes.” Robin tried to pretend he didn’t pick up on the unstated, “where did they come from?” until Chrom glanced down at him.

He bit his lip, staring down hard into the water. “It’s just, you know, this mark has always bothered me…” He took a deep breath, exhaling shakily. “So a while ago, I...tried flaying the skin off.”

Chrom’s grip on Robin’s hand tightened reflexively. “What?”

“I thought it’d be worth it, if it would just get rid of that mark.” Robin’s voice wavered, like he was only just keeping himself from crying. “But the skin grew back exactly the way it was before, so...”

“It...it really bothered you that much?” Chrom stared down at him, trying to process all of this information.

Robin nodded slowly. “I mean…I don’t even know what it is, but it— it can’t be good, can it?” He rubbed at his eyes with his free hand, trying to fend off tears before they came. “And every day, it just...stares at me, and I keep waiting to learn whatever horrible thing it means about me, or waiting for whatever disaster it foretells will happen, or… I just don’t know. It feels so uncertain, and it’s...it’s hard to deal with.”

“Robin—” Chrom realized as he spoke that he wasn’t sure what exactly he needed to say. His pause was noticed by Robin, who finally turned his head up to look at him. Chrom reacted without thinking, not wanting to worsen the situation by doing nothing. He let go of Robin’s hand to wrap his arms around his body, pulling him through the water to hold against his chest.

“C-Chrom? What…?” Robin stared up at him with wide eyes, sadness effectively startled out of him.

“You know I’d never let anything happen to you,” Chrom said. “No matter what that mark is supposed to mean...I’ll be by your side.”

“That’s—” Robin seemed too taken aback to know what to do about that claim right away. “That’s, um, a really simple way of seeing things. You know you can’t do everything.”

That didn’t do anything to weaken Chrom’s resolve. “I do know that,” he said, holding him tighter. “But I’ll always do everything in my power to protect you.”

Slowly, Robin brought his arms up to hug Chrom back. “I really don’t understand how optimistic you always are,” he mumbled. “But...thank you. You...that means a lot to me…”

“So you’re not going to worry about this anymore, right?”

“I doubt I could ever really stop worrying about it…” Robin said. “...But I do feel a little better.”

“Good,” Chrom said. “Now I know, I’ll just hug you again the next time you get upset about something.”

Robin chuckled. “That is one way to handle things. But, all things considered…” he said. “...Is a hug really appropriate right now?”

It took Chrom a few moments to work out what Robin was referring to, but even when he did, he didn’t let go. “It’s appropriate whenever you need one," he said, pressing his forehead against Robin's.

"Oh...good to know..." Robin said. "Just know that I’ll be holding you to that.”

If holding him in a bath was what Chrom needed to do to make Robin smile, he didn’t mind doing it at all.

Not that doing it was that bad.

If anything, it was actually kind of nice.

...Chrom wondered if could blame leaning down to press his lips against Robin’s on sleep deprivation.

At first he worried that he’d ruined the moment, and Robin would pull away in distress so soon after he’d been comforted. He was ready to break the kiss and apologize, only to pause when he felt Robin kiss him back.

They stayed like that for a few moments before Chrom pulled away, keeping their faces close with his forehead still pressed against Robin’s. "Was that to make me feel better, too...?" Robin asked softly.

"Well..." Chrom said, "it may have been a little more selfish than that, I admit."

Robin smiled up at him, lifting his arms to wrap around Chrom's neck. "I don't mind..." he said. "You can be as selfish as you want."

Mysteriously, Chrom found it much easier to stay alert for the rest of the night.

**Author's Note:**

> Anna in the bushes furious that she can't snapshot this action


End file.
